Streamlined DEP permits have worked, report says

BOSTON – Initiatives to streamline permitting at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection have dramatically shortened the time to permit and removed unnecessary barriers to jobs and economic growth, according to a report released by Gov. Deval L. Patrick last week. More

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Streamlined DEP permits have worked, report says

Posted:
Saturday, March 30, 2013 12:05 am

BOSTON – Initiatives to streamline permitting at the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection have dramatically shortened the time to permit and removed unnecessary barriers to jobs and economic growth, according to a report released by Gov. Deval L. Patrick last week.

In 2007, Patrick directed MassDEP to speed up and simplify its permitting process to match “the speed of business.” The department initiated a permit-streamlining program in 2007 that cut review timelines across the board and simplified the approval process for key permits associated with significant economic-development opportunities. Overall, MassDEP has reduced permitting timelines by 20 percent since 2007, with 90 percent of DEP permits now being issued within three months, compared to only 69 percent before 2007. Ninety-seven percent of permits are issued within six months, compared to 81 percent before 2007.

“Thanks to the efforts at [the department] to remove barriers and create efficiencies in the permitting process, more businesses are making Massachusetts their home and creating jobs and opportunity in our neighborhoods,” Patrick said. •

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